


Santa's choice [is me]

by Elricsister



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Student/Teacher, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Mistletoe, evelark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:48:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21813970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elricsister/pseuds/Elricsister
Summary: Peeta is a lonely soul and he expects to remain alone for the rest of his life, but the universe has another Destiny for him. He has the most unique soulmate of all.
Relationships: Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark
Comments: 18
Kudos: 28
Collections: The Hunger Games 2019 Season of Hope Holiday Gift Exchange





	Santa's choice [is me]

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sweetie21](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetie21/gifts).



> Based on the following promt: Katniss teaches Peeta how to kiss propely in his fantasies. Too bad she is at least 5 years older than him and also his college's Biology teacher. Will Katniss agree to become his girlfriend? (PS: because of having an amputated leg Peeta had never had a girlfriend before, he was nervous and shy. But Katniss's confidence, kindness and strength draws his attraction too much beyond control)
> 
> Maybe there is no Kiss teaching involved, more like Kiss witholding… hope you dont mind.
> 
> Disclaimer: I dont own the hunger games nor its characters.

#  **Santa’s Choice […is me]**

So, let us do this one more time. My name is Peeta Mellark and I am Mr. Claus. I know, I know, I still can believe it myself. I am 25 years old and not a month ago a simple town baker that was taking community college classes. I wanted to take some Natural Science classes as I thought it would both help me to make more realistic cakes’ decorations as well in my own artistic incursions in canvas painting or any kind of painting for that matter.

Sorry, I am digressing, as I was saying, I am now married to Santa Claus, so that makes me Mr. Claus. The spouse of the big elf that provides gifts to all kids, believers or not, of the world. And well, I still cannot believe SHE pick me to be her partner at this. More so that when I reach 30, will stop ageing for at least a thousand years, or when my beautiful wife decides to take a rest and leave the family business to one of our children. Then we will start ageing again and can enjoy our retirement in either the North Pole or traveling the world. Nature will take its course and eventually we will pass on. Nevertheless, I am sure that a thousand years and change will never be enough for me to be with my wife and family. The family that I have found here in the North Pole and that I expect to have in the future.

The not ageing part is pretty cool, she already has been stuck in her 30 year old looks for quite some time, so technically is _only_ 5 years older than me. She won’t tell me exactly how old is she and I won’t ask again because really, I won’t be on the wrong end of that scowl ever again if it can be helped.

K P K P K P K P K P K P

I meet my wife in community college actually; she was the appointed Botany 101 teacher in campus, Professor Katniss Everdeen. I would have never though that the beautiful mysterious teacher will give me the time of day, not only because she was older, but also because my… own limitations. You see, I was in a car accident 14 years ago. My mother had just worked a double shift at the hospital and was really tired, but she had to go pick me up at wrestling practice. She blinked at the stop sign and well, what happened next changed my life forever. The truck hit my side square front, I was pressed for like hours between the central console and the door before the auxiliary services could take me out. It was too late for my leg by then. The doctor had to amputate my right leg from a few inches below the knee as soon as I reached the hospital.

Girlfriend? Please, it just take one blink for a man (kid) to lose all his self-confidence in his appearance and worth. I had lost any hope I had to meet a girl, fall in love and have a family (and believe me when I say that it is really an awful thing to happen on a 11 year old). That was until I meet Katniss.

The class was one I was looking to take the most. To learn about all types of plants and their different structures, differentiation, uses and plant taxonomy was what attracted me the most. As an artist, I could see the beauty on it and would help me recreate them in paint or fondant and as a baker, the objective was to learn the practical side of the plants. What I did not expect was the last minute change in teacher. Professor Haymitch Abernathy decided to take a sabbatical year just as I entered the program and he highly recommended his niece for the job.

I was somehow disappointed at first; also, Professor Everdeen did not seem to care about nothing but plants. She did not engaged with the students _at all_. It was like hearing a recording during the whole lecture. She was shy, did not make eye contact and constantly nervously touched the pin at the lapel of her jacket. It took one visit for Prof. Abernathy for her to change. He actually told her in front of the whole class that she _had the charm of a dead slug_ and if he had known, he would never had asked for that sabbatical. She then stormed out of the classroom, not before saying to him to feel free to end the lecture himself, and that he certainly would receive a bag of coal that year. The exchange was bizarre enough for any to put any thought on that last statement; but to the keen observer it would have been a _huge_ tale on their true nature. See I didn’t know then, but Haymitch was really Katniss uncle and guardian until she was prepared to hold the ropes (yes, literally) of the family business.

After that unfortunate session, Katniss tried harder to get the attention of the students, and she turn to be an excellent teacher after a few more tries. She loves the subject and is passionate about it, but she had not quite found the way to pass onto us, her students, that passion as well. The first successful class with us paying our undying attention was… wait for it… (yeah you just guess it)…mistletoe. She gave us quite the lecture about its origin, different species, toxicity and importance in the ecosystem, ending with a joke regarding the cultural references of it to be used as decoration under which lovers were expected to kiss.

Talking about a second life changing turn. Little I knew how that small joke would affect the rest of my life. 

K P K P K P K P K P K P

It started then, Katniss appearing in my dreams. It was… _unexpected_ ; there has never been desire in me to put myself out there. To subject myself to the pain I knew would come from rejection. I am no masochist; there was no reason to be subjected to ridicule or pity if avoided. It was just what it was.

But these dreams told a completely different story.

At first, they were only a few glimpses of a raven haired beauty with silver eyes that beckoned me to her side. It took quite some time for me to go to her, even in my dreams I was wary of the sirens song.

Once by her side, the dreams took a different turn. She started to show me memories of my childhood that I has completely forgotten.

She showed me my first year at kindergarten, when I saw a lovely girl with two braids and a plaid dress signing _“I will be home by Christmas”_ on our first festival, I swore she sang like an angel and even the snowflakes stop descending so not to disturb her act.

The year I lost my leg and received a gift that consisted of a complete set of oils and pastels, it also included several brushes and canvas of various sizes. It turns out I used those to paint a girl sort of my age and her little sister when I caught a glimpse of them dancing in the new year festival that same year. Their joyous faces and carefree attitude really took my attention for the entire time; I was both envious and fascinated by them. The painting stood in my room for several years, and then I move it to the basement because it was… you know, creepy.

Finally, a memory of some 7 years ago, when I was at the bakery and trying to come with a new recipe for our menu. The year was rough as one of those coffee chains put shop just down the street from us. We needed a new wow factor to bring clients back and I was in search for the ultimate pastry. A client came to the counter and asked for a savory pastry with cheese and herbs, complaining that the other shop had one without really taste to it. The girl was about my age and was wearing a hunting jacket a few sizes too big, hunter boots, black skinny jeans and a red plaid button up with a green tank top beneath it. Her hair was in one braid that fall into her shoulder and was tied at the end with an orange ribbon (the kind of orange that turns the sky when the sun is setting, my favorite color). Then, it was like lighting striking, an idea came to me, and the girl agreed to wait the 30 minutes it would take me to prepare the treat. At her first bite, I knew I had nailed it, if her soft moan was anything to go by. Then, some tall, dark and handsome guy entered the shop asking for “Catnip” to hurry up or they would lose the next shuttle to the NP (I did not recognized that stop). The girl left with a grin to my direction and a _“Goodbye Peeta, can wait to see you again”_. I never saw her again, and then, as much as I liked her, there was no way in earth she would see me as a romantic partner, or friend for that matter, not when she clearly has a boyfriend on her league (not). So I filed the memory away, shared the recipe with my father and cheese buns are still the most selling item in our menu.

I know you are asking yourselves if that was Katniss in all those stances, and well… she was. I did not know that until after we got married. Turns out that there is something as Christmas Soulmates. There is magic involved as well. So, let me explain, the Santa Claus lineage (Everdeen in Katniss’ case) has to share 100 lifetimes with their partners, so it is not good it they are not 100% compatible, even if there is fighting and disagreement, the partnership shall be strong enough to convey all that. Also, love is a big source of energy to the magic involved on Christmas, so there has to be a lot lot of love _always_.

The process works as follows: the magical soulmate of the pair has some sort of “soulmate sense” that localizes their mortal soulmate in time and space. Then she or he has three chances to meet or make an impression to the soulmate, they physically will turn close to the age of the mortal soulmate so not to scare them. After that, when the soulmate reaches a certain age and maturity, they can meet and start… courting.

Katniss courting was awkward to say the least. That is my Katniss to you; I cannot complain though, she did swept me off my feet, but deep down I think I was already in love with her since the moment I heard her sing.

After months of going thru memory lane repeatedly, one-day dream Katniss appeared to me as she is today and asked me to look up. There it was just above our heads, mistletoe. Katniss asked me to kiss her whenever I was ready. She put the ball in my court, did not wanted to scared me and lose the soulmate bond. You see, there is this clause to it: the mortal soulmate can break the bond by rejecting the magical soulmate. It just take one time. Just a single no. Then, the magical soulmate has to live another lifetime and wait for the mortal one to reincarnate and hope it does not reject it again. Katniss says this is our first courting, so I am very happy to not have made her wait for me.

After that we just started talking during the dreams, the mistletoe always hanging in our heads, but she was patient. We covered the deep stuff like favorite colors, food and music. Then we cover the real bonding stuff like family and future hopes.

One thing I could not reconcile was Professor Katniss Everdeen and dream Katniss, I really thought it was my subconscious mind putting the face of a person that I looked up in real life to the dream girl I was starting to fall in love.

K P K P K P K P K P K P

It happened one day, we had finished with school term and I had started to working full time at the bakery again. The holiday season is one of the most demanding for the bakery and I had not seen Katniss for two weeks by now. At least, not in real life. In dreamrealm things were progressing in a really disturbing way. I was looking forward to go to sleep so I could spend my night with dream Katniss. She was kind, funny, strong-headed, humble, easy to talk to and was as passionate and beautiful as my real life teacher; also I notice she had an over the top craving for hot chocolate with marshmallows and cheese buns.

On a gloomy Wednesday afternoon, Professor Katniss entered the shop and asked for a cup of hot cocoa and three cheese buns. I was nervous, as I had developed by then deep feelings for her dream counterpart, so I kept the talking at a minimum afraid to give something away.

“All those night talks had me craving this in real life, who would have guess? Hope they taste as deliciously as your dream-self make them to be” She said, out of the blue and surprising us both. She immediately looked up from her purse with horror written all over her face. I just kept staring at her trying to reconcile what she had just revealed.

“Katniss…” was all I could articulate. My eyes asking the question I was unable to make pass my lips.

“Peeta, I did not wanted for you to find like this. You were supposed to…” that was all I allowed her to say before reaching her above the counter and kissing her lips softly. That was all the incentive I needed.

The kiss, it was like time stopped, I had not kissed anyone before (later on I learned it was also Katniss first kiss too!) but certainly hearing jingle-bells and envisioning a winter wonderland surrounding us was not the usual case, or maybe it was when the right person kissed you.

We then slowly separated, the world spinning again and the bakery taking form in the surrounding. She was staring at me with a mixture of joy and fear that I was sure were reflecting my own. 

“Mistletoe” I said, pointing above our heads. “I think I am ready now”.

K P K P K P K P K P K P

So, let us do this one more time. My name is Peeta Mellark and I am Mr. Claus. My soulmate is Katniss Everdeen, of unknown age and her job is to bring happiness to all the children of the world. She is funny, witty, humble, selfless, sarcastic, gorgeous (there is a Santa suit but that is not used when gifts are delivered) and she chose me to be her long-life partner, lover and best friend. We have been together for a few centuries now and I have enjoyed the ride so much I will never regret taking the shuttle with her to the NP (turns out is the North Pole!). She once told me she was not going to look for her soulmate, there was too much risk and heartbreak on it; but she was curious on who the universe had paired her with, so she looked for me. Whatever make her change her mind about soulmates, I am just happy she did. She is the family I did not knew I needed nor wanted. Can you keep a secret? She had just told me, on this Christmas day, that I should keep the cheese buns coming, as there is a bun in her oven.


End file.
